Outspoken
by Beckon
Summary: When appearances were everything in this moment, Tanya had assumed that the woman wouldn't have come back to the palace slathered in blood, meat, and bone- and acting as though there was nothing wrong with the presentation.


Keeping one hand tucked under the Empress's jaw, Tanya used the holding position to keep Mileena's head upright and in her focus.

She gently turned her head left or right as she needed, making sure that she had every inch of the woman's face under inspection. She was looking for imperfections and was making slow progress- especially given that it was hard to ignore the scowl that was etched across Mileena's face, tight at the press of her lips, and tugging at the skin of her marred cheeks.

Had she been a person of a lesser court, or of lower trust, the Empress surely would've used her head as a chew toy at the slightest annoyance.

But Tanya was neither of those things.

If anything, doing something as menial and tedious as this only brought her status up.

[That wasn't to say that she wasn't mindful about keeping her fingers away from the Empress's teeth however.]

" _Must_ we go through this?" Mileena pressed, her disgruntle voice rolling somewhere in the depth of her throat. Her irritation was getting increasingly noticeable, given that the words had not only rumbled from her throat, but they had voiced themselves through the opening of her cheeks, rather than hissed as they usually were between her lips.

Then again, perhaps the Empress was giving her a chance to save her own hand- least it get caught in the crossfire of things.

"I have things that must be done before the Shokan arrive."

"I'm aware- which is _why_ I'm doing this," Tanya coolly reminded, as she turned the woman's head to the left once more- and spotted the last piece she had been looking for. With a careful, steady hand, and a pair of tweezers, she grabbed at the remaining bit of bone and wiggled it, before she was able to tug it free from between the Empress's impressive mandibles.

One would think, with an important meeting coming up in just a few short hours, a meeting that would declare allegiance or not, the Empress would avoid going out for a feeding frenzy.

When appearances were everything in this moment, Tanya had assumed that the woman wouldn't have come back to the palace, slathered in blood, meat, and bone- and acting as though there was nothing wrong with the presentation.

She had gotten the woman showered down and soaped up, and had sat down to do cosmetics before she realized that there was a bigger issue at stake.

"Imagine that Queen Sheeva of the Shokan arrives and sees the Empress of Outworld with bone and cartilage and _whatever else_ stuck in her teeth- and _spitting_ it out every time she talks.

Tanya dropped the loose bone fragment into the already full bowl next to her- a monument to the task she had conquered at hand.

"I can't have you embarrassing me like that."

Mileena gave a huff and blew out a breath that smelled of blood and carnage from between her lips.

"Outworld Empress, yes- but also leader of the Tarkatans," Mileena reminded.

"Yes, and if this was Baraka welcoming Queen Sheeva to the palace, I would have Rain hose him down until he was clean too," Tanya remarked, as she inevitably tossed the used tweezers into the same bowl with the bones. At this point, they weren't worth keeping, nor were they worth trying to sanitize. "You are a blood-thirsty pack, but Elder Gods above, you can put yourselves together for a little political diplomacy."

Again, the woman created a chuffing sound from her throat.

"You Edenians and your _looks_."

Tanya humored the woman with a soft chuckle, before she lightly grabbed Mileena by the chin and gently shook her head. "- Says the _cutest_ Edenian."

Mileena scoffed and pushed her hand away, false anger barely maintained with a truthful grin.

"Do not distract me. I have business I must tend to first- you harlot."

"Oh? As if I must not be there as well, so you do not make fools of both of us?" Tanya teasingly pressed, as she turned her attention back to the cosmetic palettes she had grabbed beforehand- before she had been sidetracked. There was still plenty of time before the meeting to spare, plenty of time for banter to get the Empress worked up and ready for talk. "Come now, we still must get you dressed and looking decent."

The Empress eyed her in annoyance, but sat still as Tanya carefully pinned her hair back and patted her face dry.

Despite the woman's facial qualities, which did make adding cosmetics a little more difficult that usual, Tanya had perfected the art well and quick enough. Despite the teeth, Mileena's most recognizable features were her eyes- animalistic-yellow and dangerous. The right amount of shadow and eyeliner could turn them into weapons, and provide ample support in a diplomatic discussion.

"You know, I often wonder if Kitana puts up as big of a fight as you do," Tanya remarked, as she held the woman's chin in her hand once more, this time to apply lipstick. She always thought a softer, more subtle shade of pink accented Mileena's plump lips well enough; it seemed to provide a well-enough distraction from her teeth anyways- although not usually for too long. "- and if Jade has to deal with it as much as I do."

"After growing up with her, I can tell you she is worse- and that she is not so easily defeated," Mileena replied, and then added, "- so count your blessings, Dearest."

Tanya rolled her eyes before she gently pushed the woman's head aside, listening to the victorious laugh Mileena gave in response. "Dealing with the lesser of two evils is hardly much of a blessing."

"No, but imagine having to style my sister's hair," Mileena reminded, as she got to her feet now, one hand pulling away at the holding pins.

And as Tanya watched the woman's hair fall to her shoulders, having grown fast in the passing months, she had to give in and admit that the woman made a strong point.

"You know, I once thought my behavior came from my Tarkatan bloodline, but you Edenians have proven me wrong every step of the way," Mileena continued, making her way to where her Kahnum attire was hanging up; it had been prepared ahead of time and was ready to be worn and displayed. "I'm beginning to see where a lot of my traits line up."

Tanya gave a subtle chuckle in amusement, as she tossed her things aside and got to her feet just the same- knowing well that she would now have to tie the woman into her uniform.

"Yes well, we are _very_ good at starting a fight, my Empress."


End file.
